Zonar Telematics Becomes Standard on All Thomas Built Buses – Saf-T-Liner® C2, Saf-T-Liner® HDX, Saf-T-Liner® EFX and Minotour®
Contact: nicholas.smith@daimler.com
KANSAS CITY, MO. – Nov. 8, 2016 – Thomas Built Buses, the leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, has announced the standard integration of Zonar’s V3 telematics control unit solution into the Saf-T-Liner® HDX, Saf-T-Liner® EFX and Minotour® school buses starting with new buses ordered November 14, 2016, or later. Thomas Built remains the only school bus manufacturer to incorporate state-of-the-art telematics as factory-installed standard equipment on all of its school buses.
“We began incorporating Zonar as standard, factory-installed equipment on our Saf-T-Liner® C2 a couple of years ago, and our customers are experiencing great success with the technology,” explains Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of Thomas Built Buses. “We believe that telematics is the future and an invaluable tool to running a safe, efficient, and smart fleet. We are excited to now extend Zonar telematics into the rest of our product offerings.”
On Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses, the Zonar V3 is installed directly into Thomas Built’s proprietary multiplex wiring system. This enables the system to oversee multiple chassis, body features and components such as seat belt use, door opening and closing, wheelchair-lift activation, stop-arm operation and parking brake engagement, among others through Zonar’s Ground Traffic Control® system. Driver behavior, such as hard braking, quick acceleration and seatbelt use, can also be monitored. This system provides immediate data and can be configured and reconfigured over the air without rewiring.
“We are excited to expand the delivery of high-definition GPS fleet tracking with real-time access to vehicle performance, subsystem and diagnostic information capabilities to every Thomas Built bus,” said H. Kevin Mest, senior vice president of passenger services at Zonar. “Along with Thomas Built Buses, we strive to make school buses safer while streamlining the workloads of fleet mangers, improving processes and lowering the overall cost of ownership for all vehicles.”
Zonar installed on the Saf-T-Liner EFX, Saf-T-Liner HDX and Minotour can monitor school bus location, mileage, fuel usage, driver behavior and remote engine and system diagnostics.
“The integration of Zonar telematics into all of our school buses is just one more example of how we are using innovation to evolve the standards of the school bus industry,” said Edgerly. “Our best-in-class buses already lead the industry in durability, reliability, safety and innovation. The addition of the most comprehensive telematics system available will allow our customers to determine safety and maintenance issues before they become larger problems, and it will help them identify ways to decrease further the total cost of ownership of their fleets.”
Thomas Built customers who already have Zonar installed as standard equipment now have access to additional levels of connectivity with some of Zonar’s other pupil transportation innovations such as Z Pass™ student rider visibility software, MyBusVue™ app, which tracks the bus’ current location, and 2020® and ConnectTM Android tablets for expanded driver productivity tools.
For more information, customers should contact their local Thomas Built Buses dealer.
About Thomas Built Buses
Founded in 1916, Thomas Built Buses is a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America. Since the first Thomas Built bus rolled off the assembly line, the company has been committed to delivering the smartest and most innovative buses in North America. Learn more at www.thomasbus.com or at www.facebook.com/thomasbuiltbuses.
Thomas Built Buses, Inc., headquartered in High Point, N.C., is a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of class 4-8 vehicles. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company.
